Flying cars, 4D printing, and facial recognition are the innovations set to change the world

The Daily Edition

The Daily Edition

Tuesday, 16 April 2019 1:22 pm

Innovations that will change the world

Flying cars and taxis could be taking over our skies sooner rather than later - Michael Bancroft explains the new technologies that are set to change our lives.

They were far-fetched ideas made for the movies.

From self-tying shoe laces and hover-crafts, to cordless headphones and virtual reality - these concepts were previously relegated to science fiction.

Now, they're ingrained in our daily lives.

Michael Bancroft from Beyond Innovation is here to share the details on the world's new and emerging technologies changing the way we live and do business.

"All of these technologies are already here in some form or another," Bancroft said.

"So when it comes to flying taxis, we already have helicopters.

"All we're doing is adding that personal experience to it, like a car that can take off by itself.

"We're seeing this technology already developed and used around the world - and we're going to see it commercialised in the next five to 10 years. And then after that, we're going to see personal vehicles starting to take flight."

Humanoid robots

"Humanoid robots are the ones that are similar to humans," Bancroft said.

"What they're able to do is actually understand their environment, and react to it.

"They can actually pick up an object and use it to move other objects out of the way.

"There's a robot out of Japan called HRP-5P that can actually put drywall up - so it's like a construction robot."

From 3D to 4D printing

"In 4D printing they add the component of time," Bancroft said.

"Harvard University have developed a 4D printed flower that can retract and move. So after it's been printed, the actual itself can change shape.

"What's cool about 4D printing is in the health care space.

"Think about swallowing a tablet that could change into a different device to monitor your vitals."

Facial recognition

Facial recognition already exists on phones and at airports, but in the future they could be used to preempt criminal behaviour.

"There's a company out of Israel called Cortica that can identify criminal behaviour," Bancroft said.

"So based on previous video, it can be told what behaviour is criminal, and then identify it in footage it's surveillancing.

"But there have been issues with incorrect identification, so those things need to be worked out."